I was just telling my staff how impressed I’ve been with the Discovery miniseries Manhunt: Unabomber, and how this week delivered the big Mark Duplass episode (he plays Ted Kaczynski’s brother) when HBO announced it had renewed the anthology series ROOM 104, which of course hails from Mark and his real brother Jay Duplass.

Room 104 explores the various characters who pass through a single motel room via stories that range from comedy and drama to horror. The tone, characters and era change each episode as we watch everyday people strive for connection and meaning in their lives.

The 12-episode first season premiered on July 28 and has featured episodes directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel) Patrick Brice (Creep), Chad Hartigan (Morris from America) and horror ingenue Sarah Adina Smith.

James Van Der Beek, Orlando Jones, Nat Wolff, Mae Whitman, Philip Baker Hall, Keir Gilchrist, Meloni Diaz, Karan Soni, Tony Todd and Jay Duplass are among the actors who have appeared in the first season of the show.

“Jay and Mark Duplass are gifted storytellers who have brilliantly reinvented the anthology series for the modern era,” said HBO’s Amy Gravitt. “The format of Room 104 offers endless possibilities and opportunities for new talent to experiment, and I look forward to seeing where the series takes us.”

“We can’t remember the last time we had so much fun making something,” the Duplass brothers said in a joint statement. “We’re excited to go even further down the rabbit hole with this show.”

The Duplass brothers created Room 104 and they also executive produce the show with Sydney Fleischmann and Mel Eslyn, while Tyler Romery serves as producer. I look forward to seeing what kind of weirdness they’ll think up for next season, which should premiere sometime in 2018.

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